Bias Related Conduct Policy

Gettysburg College is committed to sustaining a living
and learning community where all members of the
community are respected and differences among us are celebrated. Hate
and bias-related incidents are inconsistent
with the mission, values and goals of Gettysburg College. In addition,
they are hurtful to individuals and groups of
individuals in our community. In its commitment to providing an
environment conducive to learning, Gettysburg
College condemns acts of hate and bigotry and will work with members of
the community to address any such
issues.

Gettysburg College defines “Bias Related Conduct” to include hate
crimes, harassment and bias incidents. The definitions of each are outlined below, as is a description of the
response by Gettysburg College to a report of any
Bias Related Conduct. In addition to investigating any such report to
determine whether there has been a violation
of College policy and working with the police to determine if a crime
has occurred, the College will offer
appropriate support, outreach and education to any College community
member impacted by a hate crime,
harassment or a bias incident. This will include, but is certainly not
limited to, access to Counseling Services,
residential accommodations, and facilitated community discussions when
appropriate.

A hate crime* is any crime of violence, property
damage or threat that in whole, or in part, is motivated by the
offender’s bias toward the victim’s race, religion, ethnicity,
national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, age,
or disability.

Hate crimes are defined at both the federal and state level. In
order to determine if a hate crime has occurred, reported incidents
must be investigated by the police to first determine if a crime has
occurred. The investigation must also determine if the crime was
motivated by hate, as outlined in the federal guidelines. Federal
hate crimes are investigated by the FBI. For more information on
federal hate crimes, please see the FBI’s website. The Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania also has hate crime statutes. Hate crimes are also
violations of College policy.

A federal law, the Clery Act, provides that timely notice of certain
crimes reported to campus security or local police must be provided
to the Campus Community.

The College’s adjudication of charges may proceed
regardless of the status of the criminal justice process.

*Definition taken from “Hate Crimes: The Problem and Efforts to
Confront It” prepared by the Center for the Prevention of Hate
Violence at the University of Southern Maine under contract with
Community Research Associates, Inc.

Gettysburg College is committed to treating all members of the
College community in an equitable manner,
providing an environment that permits students to attain their
educational goals without interference stemming from harassment.
Gettysburg College explicitly prohibits any form of illegal
discriminatory harassment by any College community member,
organization or group.

Harassment includes physical, verbal, graphic, or written conduct
(including harassment via e-mail, instant
messenger, text messaging or other electronic means), that is
sufficiently severe, pervasive, or persistent so as to unreasonably
interfere with or limit the ability of an individual to participate
in or benefit from the programs,
services, activities or privileges provided by the College.

Harassment is discriminatory if the conduct is based on race,
religion, ethnicity, national origin, accent, sexual
orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, or
disability. It is a violation of the Student Code of Conduct to
engage in harassment or to retaliate against anyone bringing a
complaint of harassment, formal or
informal, anyone involved in the Complaint process, anyone who
pursues legal action, or anyone participating in an investigation
into allegations of harassment (including witnesses).

Stalking is also a form of harassment and a violation of the
harassment policy. Stalking is defined by Gettysburg
College as the act of pursuing, following or observing an individual
in a persistent fashion (including but not limited to,
cyber-stalking or an stalking via electronic means) that
unreasonably interferes with or limits the ability of that
individual to participate in or benefit from the programs, services,
activities or privileges provided by the College. Harassment is a
violation of College policy and the College will investigate such
incidents to determine if someone has violated our policy. Students
found responsible are subject to College sanctions. As stated above,
harassment has two parts: actions based on actual or perceived race,
religion, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender,
age, or disability AND the actions must substantially interfere with
a student’s educational or employment opportunities.

For the purposes of this Policy,
a bias incident involves behavior (whether physical
or verbal) that is motivated by bias based on actual
or perceived race, religion, ethnicity, national
origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity,
age, or disability, but that does not rise to the
level of a hate crime or a violation of College
policy.

It should be noted that while the expression of an
idea or point of view may be offensive or
inflammatory to some, it is not necessarily a
violation of law or College policy. Gettysburg
College values and embraces the ideals of freedom of
inquiry, freedom of thought, and freedom of
expression, all of which must be vitally sustained
in a community of scholars. The College recognizes
that these freedoms protect controversial ideas,
differing views and sometimes even offensive and
hurtful words that are not consistent with the
College’s mission. However, freedom of inquiry,
thought, and expression do not protect personal
threats or acts of misconduct that violate criminal
law or College policy.

As outlined in the beginning of this document, any
reports of a bias incident will be investigated. The
College will offer appropriate support, outreach and
education to any College community member impacted
by a hate crime, harassment or a bias incident.

The Gettysburg College Diversity Commission will
receive a regular summary of bias incidents
occurring on
campus from the Vice President for College Life and
Dean of Students. In addition, these incidents may
be shared with the broader community as appropriate.

Gettysburg College encourages prompt reporting of
any Bias Related Conduct so that it can investigate
the alleged facts for possible violation(s) of
College policy, including the Student Code of
Conduct, and refer complaints to law enforcement
authorities in order to determine whether an
independent investigation for violation(s) of
criminal law is warranted.

Gettysburg College community members reporting Bias
Related Conduct can expect the following:

• Meet with a college official promptly
• Treat your concern with respect
• Take every case seriously
• Discuss all of your options
• Gather and preserve evidence and information
• Connect you with a faculty member, administrator
or staff member to provide support
• Work with the Gettysburg Police to investigate
whether or not a crime has occurred
• Initiate the College’s student conduct process if
it appears that a policy violation may have
occurred.

The College’s response to Bias Related Conduct (bias
incidents, harassment and hate crimes) will be
coordinated by the Vice President for College Life
and Dean of Students. The Vice President for College
Life and Dean of Students may convene a Bias
Incident Response Team that will include the
following members of the College community:

• Vice
President for College Life and Dean of Students
• Vice Provost
• Director of Counseling
• Dean of Intercultural Advancement
• Director of Residence Life
• Director of Public Safety
• Other members of the community, including
students, may be invited as appropriate.

Students should immediately report any Bias Related Conduct (bias
incidents, harassment or hate crimes) to Public Safety at (717)
337-6911, or the Vice President for College Life and Dean of Students
office at (717) 337-6921.

If you become the victim of a Bias Related Conduct (hate crime,
harassment, or bias incident) - racial or otherwise - or witness any
Bias Related Conduct, please do the following to document the incident
the best you can:

• If you see a written slur or discover graffiti, do not erase the words
or images. The Department of Public Safety and the Gettysburg Police
will need to see it in order to document and photograph.
• If the incident was verbal, be sure to immediately document what was
said, where it was said and when it was said.
• Get names and contact information of any witnesses.